


Life in Palette and Poetry

by pumpkin_latte



Series: college life oneshots [1]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Colors, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Poetry, Texting, Wonkyun, changho - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 07:37:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15636195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pumpkin_latte/pseuds/pumpkin_latte
Summary: Changkyun finds a phone number inside a textbook in a public library, Kihyun is the paranoid friend, Jooheon is amused, and Hyungwon watches too many chick flicks.





	Life in Palette and Poetry

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~ if you like my work and would like to support me, here is my ko-fi~ 
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/pumpkin_latte
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read this and enjoyed it, the comments warm my heart, and there will be a short sequel to this soon!

**WEDNESDAY , 11:38PM**

 

Maybe it was the complete lack of sleep Changkyun was currently suffering from, or the fact that the hand was almost edging on midnight and he was  _tired_. Perhaps it was because  _nothing_  interesting  _ever_ happened to him and this might be fate knocking on his front door of life  _just begging_  for some excitement. Or maybe it was simply the caffeine from fifth cup of coffee he'd just downed today finally teasing his nerves, he wasn't entirely sure, but he gaped at the little piece of paper with the messy digits scribbled on top as if it was the universe calling to him. As if it was _meant to be_. He picked it up ever so carefully and studied it for several seconds. He glanced at the pages it was shoved between, 301 and 302, the start of chapter thirteen in the Fundamentals of Thermodynamics textbook.

He nodded to himself, as if making some internal decision that meant a whole lot, then gently tucked the piece inside his wallet, and placed the heavy textbook back on the library shelf.

Changkyun's life really was normal. It was  _ideal_ , really. Close friends, amazing parents, luxurious house, and enough money to afford a vacation overseas every month if they had the time. It really  _was_  perfect, except it was  _too_  ordinary. Never had he fallen in love, or experienced the thrill of life's little moments. He lived his life in grey, his moments in black and white, everything expected, known, ordinary. Making him almost invisible, a ghost to those who didn't know him. And he _hated_ it. Being grey. A boring blend of ordinary black and white.

He whipped out his phone, turning to his side before pressing the keys to the numbers written on the paper. He carefully looked it over, checking to see if he typed correctly.

 

_< Hi...so, I found this number inside a physics textbook. I figured you must've left it in there to be spoken too. If not, just ignore this>_

He hit send with a trembling thumb and was nervous _out of his mind_. He waited anxiously for a reply, but it was almost 1AM and whoever the number belonged to was probably fast asleep. He probably should be too, he thought.

 

 

**THURSDAY , 9:23AM**

 

"You just found it at the  _public_  library? Not even the _university_  library?!"

Changkyun nodded weakly. His friend, who was named Kihyun, with a  _mighty_  powerful voice, was chewing his ass off at the moment.

 

"How do you know that person isn't a predator! A murderer! It's a  _public_  library! Public meaning  _anyone_ can go inside!!"

"Can you, like, calm down, I saw a movie once where this girl finds a phone number on a napkin or something and it turns out to be her soul mate"

Changkyun turned to his other friend with eyes so thankful it was almost sad, "see,  _Hyungwon_ understands!"

"That's a movie. If you treat life like a movie you'll be _very_ disappointed, because movies are fake" Kihyun spat, sitting himself down rather harshly. "And stop watching so many chick flicks, they're rotting your brain"

"My brain is already rotten from sleeping so much so jokes on you"

Changkyun opened his mouth to laugh but his phone vibrated that very instant and he choked a little. He pulled it out quick as lightning, a foolish smile curving his lips. "It's the person!!"

"The person, you don't even know the name, _oh my god_  you're gunna--" Kihyun's lips were smushed by Jooheon, who had been sitting idly by, happily sipping chocolate milk.

 

_< Hello~ I didn't think anyone would find it, haha>_

 

Changkyun smiled idiotically and Kihyun smacked him upside the head like an angry grandma.

 

_< Well, did you want it to be found?>_

Changkyun tapped his foot anxiously. Kihyun, Hyungwon, and Jooheon huddled around the tiny screen.

_< yeah, just didn't think anyone would actually contact me. Thanks for that>_

 

"See, they're harmless" Changkyun stated as a matter of fact, and Kihyun made a face of disbelief.

"You've been talking for a god damn  _minute_!"

"A minute is enough--" Changkyun's chair was pushed violently by a group of girls that were speeding by, his phone falling out of his fingers and crashing against the floor with a sound that sent chills up everyone's spine. They swarmed outside the classroom as someone passed by, trying obviously too hard to grab the attention of a  handsome hooded man who didn't want any.

"I swear to every god in the sky, I  _hate_  him" Changkyun grit his teeth, picking up his now horribly cracked phone.

"Him or girls that go crazy over him?" Jooheon raised a brow, studying the group outside as the man in question tried to pry his way out with a kind smile.

"Both. I hate both Wonho _and_ his stupid fan girls"

**FRIDAY , 1:00PM**

 

 

Changkyun never found himself glued to his phone. In fact, he never even knew where the hell his phone would be ruthlessly thrown or shoved before. It was a useless item that was just extra weight, but now, it carried the _highest_ of importance. He took it in the shower and held it in his palm while he slept. He really _was_  a fool, that's for sure, that was a fact. But just the small talk that ensue between the two, the  _'how was your day'_  and  _'how are you'_ , the mystery of the person on the other side added a hint of color into Changkyun's life. Some subtle blues of sadness, of wanting more, some deep purple beyond the mystery the person had become, with a spray of light orange happiness.

_< Can I ask what your name is?>_

_< Hoseok, and yours?>_

 

He paused momentarily, pondering that maybe Kihyun was right, that maybe this was a bad idea. That this could be anyone. Maybe he was talking to a 10 year old, or maybe a 50 year old runaway from jail who was a serial killer seeking their next victim. He would never know. But he couldn't shake the feeling that there had to be a reason for this. And so he typed his name and hit send.

_< Changkyun... I feel like I've heard it before. It's pretty>_

He couldn't help but smile like a whole entire idiot. He leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window as he repeated the name in his head.

_Hoseok... Hoseok._

**7:15PM**

 

"I don't think I know anyone by that name. You said he goes to our university?"  Jooheon asked as he handed Changkyun and Hyungwon each a steaming cup. Changkyun nodded as he blew too forcefully, sending the hot steam on Hyungwon's now distraught face.

"Do you  _mind_ " he shot Changkyun a deadly glare. "I was just telling him I don't know anyone by the name Hoseok either. Ask him what year he is"

And so Changkyun did, his thumbs moving too quickly as his eyes seemed to already anticipate Hoseok's answer. "Junior", he declared about thirty seconds later.

"He really must have nothing better to do with his life if he replied that fast" Jooheon muttered.

"He must like our Changkyun a lot if he replied that fast" Hyungwon quickly retorted.

Jooheon shook his head tragically. "Kihyun is right, those romance movies really  _are_  rotting your brain"

"Joohoney is right this time. He might just be looking for a friend. Who knows what his orientation is"

"Why not just ask?" They both turned to him almost in unison. Changkyun gaped at them, his lips moving like a fish out of water.

"W- _what_? Not in a million years, hell no, no. _No_. It's too soon, even a million years is too soon! Good day, kind sirs, I have to leave now for my evening class. The audacity to even--!" Changkyun made a noise of insult one would hear in soap operas, and within a minute his bag was slung over his shoulder, coffee in hand, chin up high, and he was stomping out of the university cafe. Hyungwon and Jooheon snickered behind him.

 

Seven days turned into a month, and a month into an end of a semester. Winter break faded away quickly, but Changkyun changed. His grey life blended with the carefree lightness of yellow and the calmness of teal, when Hoseok and he would stay up until 3AM texting, void from the stresses of school. Changkyun began to try new things, exciting things, like driving up to the beach during a blizzard at midnight, or adventuring to find species of flowers he had never seen before. He began to see life in color, to see beauty, and the drive forced his inspiration to flow onto canvas. He began to paint, because he was  _seeing_  the world for the first time.

Never will he forget the surprise on his mothers face when she walked into his room one cold night,  _"you're... painting again",_  she had gasped, holding a hand in front of her mouth with wide eyes as several canvases scattered the floor. She was surprised, of course, because he hadn't touched a paintbrush in a decade. Since he was still a child. Since his previous paintings were all black and grey.

_"What do you think?"_

_"They.. are the palette of emotions, and I can feel them beautifully"_

With spring arrived new wonders, new colors that had passed Changkyun's sight before. The baby pinks of the blooming blossoms, the barely there blue of the sweet rain, and the earthy hazels and russets that reminded him of his own eyes. But one color became prominent above others as the ache in his heart grew with desire and undying want to simply see the man on the other side of that line. And so red and pink dominated his life, the color of his blood, of his flesh and heart, of  _love_. It grew and swelled with every text and every increasing day because Hoseok was  _that_ guy of his dreams. Changkyun didn't care if he was being naive or childish because it felt right in the deepest caverns of his heart and bones and every single cell and  _that's_  what mattered.

 

**SATURDAY , 4AM**

Changkyun flopped over to his side, arms tightening around his oblong decorative pillow. He sighed heavily, wondering if he should wake Hyungwon, Jooheon, or Kihyun, who were staying the night in their massive guest room.

 

Maybe they had been gaming too hard, Changkyun thought as his last bit of sleep slipped right out the window and melted with the stars. He groaned groggily, then picked up his phone to contemplate. The dim light lit up his face, and he squinted just slightly. His thumb clicked into the Tumblr app and he mindlessly scrolled down, not particularly paying attention to anything, not even the latest funny vine compilation that always surfaced on his dash, or the extremely adorable kitten video. He closed out of the app, and clicked onto the default text app.

He didn't really have to think about it, no. It became muscle memory. Something just so insanely natural, the going into his and Hoseok's chat and just typing whatever he wanted to. Even at this ungodly hour. He was comfortable if it was Hoseok. _Whoever_ Hoseok was.

 

 _< I can't sleep _ _ >_

He was about to put his phone to sleep, assuming Hoseok was fast asleep by now, when a strong vibration coursed through his fingers and up his arm, startling his heart.

 

_< I can't either Changkyunnie. Are you okay?>_

Oh that nickname the sweet Hoseok had given him two months ago, it made Changkyun's heart beat in every color of the most vibrant of rainbows. He smiled a little, cheeks hinting pink.

 

 _< Yeah! Just played too many video games and now I'm wide awake _ _Are you okay? Why can't you sleep? >_

He twiddled his thumbs in circles in front of the screen as a minute passed, then two, then three. Then finally a chat bubble appeared.

 

_< Just...   too much on my mind, but it's okay, don't worry about it>_

Oh but how could he not? When his heart thumped so loudly for him, when he  _yearned_  for him so? When this Hoseok was so caring and sweet and kind hearted, how could Changkyun find it in himself to not worry? He shook his head, as if Hoseok could see him through the screen, and pressed his lips.

 

_< Talk to me. What's on your mind? I'm here for you, Hoseok>_

A reply came rather quickly this time, and Changkyun smiled at this man's purity, at his heart.

 

_< Are you sure? I don't want to bother or burden you>_

_< Of course it's okay! Now tell me>_

**5:56PM**

 

Changkyun was in a daze. Or maybe in denial. The more he found out, the more he feared for the safety of his heart. That it would be broken like before. But he and Hoseok shared so much, that denial of what was so plainly painted for everyone to see would be _absurd_. They were matched in every way, fitting like puzzle pieces, filling the others dips and edges.

Changkyun couldn't stop thinking about last night, about how alike they were. Because Hoseok was a Business major who wanted to be a singer and composer, and Changkyun was a Physics major who wants to be the next Michelangelo. Both forced by their parents love to follow their footsteps instead of carving their own, both occupying two opposite spectrums in the arts, they complete each other. It was  _undeniable_  that the universe was playing at something.

 

**MONDAY , 12:02PM**

 

"You like him, don't you?" Kihyun asked, his tone  _much_ softer than usual in regards to the Hoseok topic. Which  _always_  happened to be the topic these days. Changkyun seemed to stagger, his body shaking for a mere nanosecond as if a lightning bolt struck down from the heavens specifically to hit a single hair on Im Changkyun's arm,  _just_  to send an uncomfortable chill down his spine. His wide eyes made Kihyun laugh unapologetically, "don't act so clueless now"

"N-no, I mean, I don't know? Maybe, we haven't met or anything, not that it would change anything unless if he's like forty or fifty or like doesn't shower like ever, I don't know can I just eat without being attacked, like, please?"

"So if he's 39 you'll give it a go?" Jooheon raised a brow, again, pointing a fork at Changkyun as if he was testing him with all the tease in the world.

"Age is a number. I saw a movie once where this guy is like 28 and he falls in love with a woman who is ten years older I think and it was such a sweet movie, I cried" Hyungwon chimed in, fanning his heated face from his steaming hot bowl of noodles.

"I swear to god I will cancel your Hulu, Netflix, all other TV subscriptions, don't test me" Kihyun pointed a threatening finger in Hyungwon's direction, who just returned with a shrug and slurped his noodles.

"You should really meet him" Jooheon said as he stole a French fry from Changkyun's takeout box.

"Yeah.. I will. I really want to"

 

 

**6:10PM**

 

_< Can I ask you something?>_

Changkyun gulped as he waited for a reply. He glanced out the tall classroom windows, mesmerized for a moment by the monarch butterflies outside. He found inspiration yet again, urging him to flood a canvas. His phone vibrated in his palms.

 _< Of course _ _ >_

He felt his heartbeat gradually picking up its pace, because, maybe he  _did_  like Hoseok. Maybe because _'like'_  was not strong enough of a word and his feelings had long surpassed just simply  _liking_  somewhere between the greening yellow orange leaves of fall and the sweet spring rains. _< Can we meet?>_ , he asked bluntly, his heart drumming so loud inside his chest it was driving him crazy. He waited, and waited, and five minutes passed when his phone finally vibrated again.

_< I don't know if you'll like me if you see me>_

Changkyun released the breath he had been holding for too long.

_< I will. I don't care if you're fat or skinny or have a huge mole on your face. I like your personality, Hoseok. I really want to meet you>_

He could feel the palpitations on his chest too prominently when too many seconds passed by. Maybe this was a bad idea, maybe it was all in his head and Hoseok bore no feelings for him. He bit the inside of his lip as he waited.

_< You like poetry, right?>_

Another held breath shakily left between Changkyun's lips, and he crunched his brows in confusion. He replied with a quick  _'yeah, why?_ '

 

_< Then find me through words. Through poems. Tell me where you are through poetry, and I will do the same. Let's find each other that way>_

Changkyun felt colors he couldn't describe, deep magenta and orange and a sharp yellow brighter than the sun as excitement surged through his blood vessels, making him hot and cold all at once. A small smile curved his nervous lips.

 

He looked outside to the butterflies, fluttering like his heart, searching for nectar as he would search for Hoseok. He quickly typed, fingers shaking just a little, and hit send.

 

_< Where Monarchs fly,_

_I will be,_

_Where clouds can reach,_

_And all is seen >_

Changkyun quickly picked up his bag and slung it over his right shoulder, and ran out of the room with a smile only idiots in love wore on their faces. He was in too much of a rush to notice another human being passing by the doorway, and he grunted when they clashed.

His bag fell to the ground, his water bottle running away as it rolled down the hall. He started an apology, when his eyes finally met the face of the person he had crashed into and his apology suddenly fell short.

He couldn't help it, but his teeth grit and nostrils flared, he angrily grabbed his bag out of Wonho's hand, who had picked it up and was handing it back to him.

"Look where you're going" he spat, eyes glaring into Wonho's, who bowed apologetically.

Changkyun couldn't help but humph, because  _of course_  the ever popular Shin Wonho would  _just bow_ , not even bother to utter an apology to someone who was a nobody like Changkyun. He decided to leave the thought right there in the hallway, in front of that empty classroom door, and left to meet the kind and sweet Hoseok.

 

**6:30PM**

 

Changkyun was all set in the art studio, which was on the very top floor of the library, the tallest building on campus. He had the background painted beautiful hues of magenta, the color he associated most with excitement.

 

He had lost himself in the abysmal black of the edges of the monarchs wings, a color he knew too well. He mixed a small amount of water with the bright orange, and dabbed the brush in strokes that seemed to be mathematically strategic to anyone who didn't paint, or draw, or know art. He just felt the bristles and the friction of the paint and flowed as if he was one body with the canvas paint and brush. He checked the time, and continued to blend with the colors. Waiting, and waiting, until his painting completed itself and it was time for him to leave for his evening class.

 

**7:59PM**

 

_< I guess you couldn't find me>_

There was sadness in his sigh. His excitement now a dull blue.

_< The garden? Over by the fountain, I went there, because that's where you can see the sky best and where the monarch butterflies are, but you weren't there. What am I missing?>_

_< You need to look for me. See me. I'm overlooked easily, and so I express myself through paintings because they stand out more than I do. I want you to really look for me, if you know what I'm trying to say>_

_< Yeah. So you were at the art studio in the library then? I'm so sorry I missed that Changkyunnie...>_

_< It's okay _ _I'll try and look for you tomorrow. Send me something when you want me to find you >_

**TUESDAY , 12:30PM**

 

"So you two are basically playing a really artistic game of hide and seek" Jooheon smiled, seeming highly interested as he tried to wrap his head around the whole scenario. Changkyun nodded as he took half a pizza slice in his mouth.

"This is what I mean, we are made for each other. It's like, perfect, because we're both so artistic and poetic, its perfect. It tests how much we understand one another"

"The only thing it tests is where this Hoseok is going to kill you. You'll go hide and seek straight into your death bed" Kihyun stated with too much confidence from across the table. It was impossible for his voice to get lost amongst the clamor of students in the busy cafeteria.

"Can you for once be optimistic? I read a webtoon once where these two internet friends leave letters around a city, with riddles and stuff and they eventually find each other and its  _beautiful_ "

Kihyun, oddly, was silent for a good few seconds, just blinking at Hyungwon with an unreadable expression. "You know what, I'm just going to cancel your Wi-Fi"

Jooheon chuckled, but Changkyun's heart was beating with anticipation once again, threatening to spill out of his chest.

 

_< Amplifying,_

_Reverberating,_

_Silence is its own beauty,_

_But it does not exist here >_

"Guys I've gotta go, uhm, yeah", and without much else, Changkyun was gone, lost among the faces of scattered people.

He walked down the hall, looking for the individual practice rooms in the music department. He looked for anyone inside, but they were all empty, except one that was occupied with a group of choir girls. He peeked inside the band room, but found its occupancy to be zero. The choir room was also lacking people, and it was too silent, save the distant muffled harmonizing of the choir girls down the hall. He sighed heavily, and searched in the adjacent hallways for anyone that could be Hoseok. He searched until an hour had passed and it had grown too loud, classes now coming undone and hallways becoming flooded with bodies he didn't want to see.

_< I couldn't find you, I'm sorry... this isn't as easy as I thought it would be. How can I find you next time?>_

_< It's okay!! This isn't meant to be easy, but we just need to find each other once. Until then, we will keep trying>_

Another text followed.

 

_< And just listen for me. Just like how you're overlooked, I am never listened to. So just listen for me, and you'll find me>_

Changkyun smiled faintly, clutching his phone in his hands. He felt himself fall back into grey, wondering if it wasn't meant to be. But he was too far gone in the world of color to give up now, too lost in the beauty of the spectrum that he wanted to feel all of it, to  _taste_ every color there was, through Hoseok.

 

_< Crash and concave,_

_Salty wind against my face._

_Betwixt words and science,_

_There is dew >_

 

Changkyun had vanished among colors again, lost to his surroundings with the easel in front of him, but his ears  _listened_. For the gentle rustle of footsteps on grass, or the patting of feet on concrete, or the creaking of one of either two doors from the Science building to his right, or Library to his left. 

He dipped the tall brush in water, until the bristles soaked it up, when the library side door creaked open and Changkyun's entire body froze, leaving only his heart to beat too rapidly, jolting him back to his surroundings. He dare not gaze or turn or even breathe, instead he turned to stone, and a second later the door creaked back to a close and the world fell silent again, until the gentle crashing of the waves invaded his drums once more.

 

It must have been a lost freshman, he thought, because no footsteps were heard. Whoever opened the door, must have only peeked outside, only to realize they were in the wrong area, he presumed.

Twelve minutes later, the Science building door swung open, and Changkyun froze again, but the quick footsteps soon walked past him and down the stairs to the beach, paying him no mind. Five minutes later, the science door opened once again, and his rapid heart normalized just a little each time, losing hope that Hoseok would find him today.

 

**10:48PM**

 

Changkyun found himself anxiously twiddling his thumbs over his phone screen, when he  _should_  have been focusing on his chemistry homework, but he couldn't control the bursts of dingy old yellow from dominating his brain. Like when he over-dips the bristles in too many colors, and the fresh joy of light yellow becomes dull and tainted when colors mix into a concoction of confusion produced from over thinking. Hoseok would have texted him by now, especially since he couldn't find Changkyun today. And Changkyun couldn't help but think that maybe Hoseok decided he wasn't worth it, if they couldn't even win a simple game of hide and seek. Or maybe Hoseok was just really busy, or sick, or something had happened, but Changkyun would have gotten a text. He  _always_  got a text, every day, several times a day if not consistently for the past four and a half months. It became normal.

 

 _< Hey, is everything okay?>, _he finally hit send and he noticed how much bottomless, encapsulating claustrophobic purple was in his bedroom, from his bed lamp to the decorative pillow, to his slippers. His throat went dry and he went to reach for his water bottle with shaky hands, when his phone made a sound.

_< Yeah.. I'm sorry, Changkyun. I should have texted you. I'll be very honest, I don't think this is a good idea>_

Black, the dominant color that he had pushed away with light red, found its way with full force, and Changkyun felt tears in his eyes.

_< Why are you saying that..?>_

_< Because I saw you today>_

Changkyun gulped too hard, his throat swelling, eyes growing wide, heart racing too fast. His phone vibrated again before he could even think of a reply.

 

_< And I know for a fact that when you see me, you won't like me. I don't want to be a disappointment to you, I don't want to let you down, so I don't think it's a good idea if we continue any further with this>_

Changkyun was confused out of his mind, but he wiped his tears and swallowed the lump aching in his throat.

 

_< I'm sorry you feel that way, but I should be the judge of that. Please don't decide that for me. I really like you, Hoseok. Your personality is what matters and I already know that, so please... just let me see you. Let me decide. Although there is no way you can disappoint me, believe me>_

A few minutes passed.

_< I really like you too... If you're sure, we will meet tomorrow>_

_< I'm more than sure, Hoseok>_

**WEDNESDAY , 10:54AM**

 

"I gotta run," Jooheon quickly said. "I've got a job interview at 11:30, good luck with Hoseok, Kyun" and with a nod he was hasting his way out of the lecture hall.

Changkyun, Kihyun, and Hyungwon soon found themselves leaving the hall too, in sort of a comfortable quiet that had never been there before, and Changkyun saw white. The white converses Hyungwon wore, the white of Kihyun's button down, the white tiles below his feet and ceiling above his head, and the blurring mixes of white on people as they walked by too quickly for him to see clearly. But anxiety found him again.

"When is he gunna text you?" Hyungwon almost whispered.

"He should be out of class by now, and his next class isn't until 4pm so between then maybe?" Changkyun seemed to be asking the question instead, too unsure himself. A few moments passed and they reached the end of the long hallway. "He said I'm not gunna like him. He saw me yesterday, but didn't come to say anything"

Kihyun and Hyungwon exchanged a look that Changkyun couldn't decipher. His phone vibrated a second later and his feet stopped moving.

 

_< The sun never sleeps,_

_Even in beautiful darkness,_

_Where lives are pretend,_

_Just listen in black >_

"The theater. He's at the theater"

Kihyun placed a steady hand on the shaking boy. "You're sure about this?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" He said with a nervous smile.

The two nodded, and Changkyun turned to leave in the opposite direction when Hyungwon caught his arm.

"Just, go through this with an open mind. Don't be too disappointed if he turns out to be the opposite of what you expected"

A barely there chuckle left Changkyun's lips. "For someone who spends all day watching chick flicks, you're pretty wise"

 

"It's  _because_  I watch chick flicks all day that I'm wise, now go"

 

And in that moment Changkyun smiled, like,  _really_ smiled, because he realized something that was pulling him towards Hoseok stronger than any force in physics or chemistry he's learned so far.

**11:08AM**

 

The area outside the main theater was always dark when it wasn't in use, especially on a Wednesday when all the theater students have their labs and humanities courses at this time.

Fliers were strewn about on the walls, but Changkyun could barely see the color of anything besides a beautiful black, a comforting, warm yet cooling black that he had never felt before in his life.

He could faintly hear melody being played from the grand piano on the theater stage, and a voice so soft and angelic, he could fall asleep to it every night. He held onto the edge of the vast door, and just  _listened_. To his voice, to  _Hoseok's_ voice, for the first time. He could hear a gentle lisp and Changkyun smiled, allowing himself to drown entirely in the sweetness.

The keys faltered when Changkyun's stepping made a creek, the singing softening.

 

"Don't stop" Changkyun said, "you have a beautiful voice"

Hoseok giggled cutely, continuing to sing softly straight into the frequency of Changkyun's heart. Changkyun couldn't see his face, just a faint glow of teal along his silhouette from the dimmed stage light behind. The sun that hung high above, as it always did, was darkened, and Changkyun noticed the array of colors even in the shadows. The blue butterfly Chandelier beside the sun, the deep red curtains, the shine of the earthy wooden floor. He was lost in colors, in Hoseok's voice, and he had been stepping closer to him without realizing it. Changkyun's fingers found themselves on the light switch, but Hoseok had found him first.

 

"Changkyun," he said nervously, "not yet, I-"

"Okay, then.. Can I.." Changkyun stepped closer, until their bodies touched and could feel Hoseok's heat invade his own. With uncertain hands he found Hoseok's waist and wrapped his arms around him and, _oh_

 

He was  _ripped_ , Changkyun could tell. He smelled of strawberries and vanilla, and was about the same height as him. _He could get used to this_ , he thought.

Hoseok's arms clenched at the fabric on Changkyun's back, head nuzzled in the crook of his neck. And Changkyun couldn't help but smile, because the tickling of Hoseok's breath on his neck finally made all of this feel alive and _real_.

 

"I've been wanting to do this for so long" Changkyun sighed.

"Me too"

The moment lasted only a minute or two longer, when Hoseok pulled away just a little, thumb tracing Changkyun's cheekbone, whose intense pink blush rose to a ruby red. The glimmer in Hoseok's eyes was all Changkyun could see, save the gentle outline of the waves of Hoseok's hair. And that glimmer was getting closer, until he could feel Hoseok's breath on his chin and the shine disappeared, but life burst into an explosion of colors when lips met his own.

And Changkyun understood why pink was the color of romance, and why hues of red were the spectrums of love. He felt the answers unwind from Hoseok's lips, from the gentle, soft kiss, and could feel the pinkness and wet red tint Hoseok's lips would be.

But Changkyun's head spun from overdose, and he clutched onto Hoseok's jacket when the kiss broke, deaf from his loudly beating heart.

 

"Do you still like me?" Hoseok asked quietly, forehead's touching.

"I think I love you"

And Changkyun heard a light laugh that made his heart somersault. "Good, because I love you too"

 

"Can... I see you now? It's not fair since you've already seen me"

"Yeah, you can" Hoseok said, arms around Changkyun again, purposely, his face hidden in the darkness of his neck. He flicked on the lights.

Changkyun squinted, eyes adjusting to the somewhat harsh stage light. He savored the details, even if he could only see Hoseok's back. He wore a white jacket, and tight blue jeans. His hair seemed to be a light burgundy, but it was hard to tell from the angle he was in. He pulled Hoseok away slowly, just aching to see that face, to finally unravel the mystery behind the man who stole his heart, when Changkyun's face contorted to disgust and he pushed Hoseok away.

 

"Wonho?" He hissed, "you're not Hoseok, what sick game are you playing?"

 

"Changkyun... please listen to me"

"Why should I? Don't you have enough people who love you already? Or is that not enough?"

He threatened to cry under the crackling glare from Changkyun's eyes.

"My real name is Lee Hoseok. Shin Wonho is the name in the university files, because I had a name change, but Lee Hoseok is my birth name. Only my closest of friends and family know"

Changkyun's nostrils flared, and Hoseok was scared at how unreadable his expression was.

"You know, I  _really_  hate you. You ruined my life, you made a laughing stock out of me and you don't even know it"

"I do know it" he answered quickly, "your freshman year, the girl you asked out told me everything after I rejected her. You're not as invisible as you think, Changkyun, I've been seeing you around since you started here, and I'm really sorry I hurt you but that was never my intention" He smiled a little, and maybe that calmed Changkyun because it was his first time _seeing_  him smile, whether he was Hoseok or Wonho or someone else. A few awkward moments passed and Hoseok looked as if he wanted to run or hide.

 

"Why put your number in an advanced physics book?"

Hoseok looked at him with surprise, maybe because Changkyun's voice had softened a little, or because of the randomness of the question itself.

"I," he pressed his lips, which Changkyun noticed were exactly pink and red as he'd imagined. "I'm always seen for my appearance. People don't care to look beyond that, to actually listen to what I have to say or care who I  _really_  am. A lot of the people who are trying to get my attention are the same, and I wanted to talk to someone on a different spectrum. Someone serious, who would listen. Which is why I put my number inside that book, because I know none of those people would take advanced physics. They're mostly business or management or lit majors"

 

"Why a public library?" He asked too quickly, catching Hoseok off guard, again.

"I just," Hoseok sighed, "It felt like the right place. I guess, fate, maybe? It just felt like the right place. And if you're wondering why between pages 301 and 302," he eyed Changkyun, who made a face of defeat, "it's because March 1st is my birthday, as you already know"

"I don't know what to tell you. I love Hoseok, but I hate Wonho. You were right, maybe this won't work--"

 

"No, I was wrong" Hoseok spoke clearly, and Changkyun burned from the fire in Hoseok's voice.

"If you're going to hate me, then fine. But hate Hoseok, because that's who I am. I didn't ask for popularity, I didn't ask for any of this. I don't like it at all. But whoever you think I am, who Wonho is, you're wrong. That's why I put my number in, why I wanted the lights off, because I wanted someone to know me for  _me_ , and it led me to _you_. I love you, Changkyun, and I know you love me too"

Changkyun sighed, walking past him, and sat on the piano bench, focusing on the white and black keys. There was no grey, yet the two colors so contrasting, one of elegance and evil, and the other of purity and perfection, that dominated his life were present in a new beauty.

 

"To me, you're a palette," Changkyun spoke softly. "You don't give me a break, from all these colorful emotions that I never felt before. And I hate that you're right. Because I know... _you_. For months, I know who you are, and my hatred towards who I think you, Wonho, is, is insignificant compared to what you, Hoseok, has done to my heart over text. I guess.. I'm just  _really fucking glad_  you're not a fifty year old predator"

He looked up at Hoseok with a curve on his lips, and held his palms out, until Hoseok's hands filled his own, perfectly, like a puzzle pieces.

 

"Does that mean..?" Hoseok smiled hopefully, head titling cutely. Changkyun could  _definitely_  get used to this, he thought, as he pulled Hoseok between his thighs, feeling life burst into a rollercoaster of color already.

 

"Yeah"


End file.
